﻿372 
  

  

  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  

  

  [ETH. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  it; 
  they 
  would 
  readjust 
  the 
  stop 
  piece, 
  bound 
  to 
  the 
  top 
  over 
  the 
  

   opening 
  and 
  usually 
  carved, 
  and 
  if 
  after 
  several 
  trials 
  the 
  instrument 
  

  

  Flute 
  or 
  flageolet. 
  

  

  could 
  not 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  give 
  this 
  vibratory 
  tone 
  the 
  flute 
  would 
  be 
  laid 
  

   aside 
  and 
  no 
  words 
  would 
  avail 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  man 
  take 
  it 
  up 
  and 
  play 
  a 
  

  

  tune 
  on 
  it. 
  Thecompass 
  of 
  the 
  nifudetu"(/a 
  

   was 
  an 
  octave. 
  The 
  intervals 
  did 
  not 
  

   correspond 
  exactly 
  to 
  our 
  diatonic 
  scale. 
  

  

  Two 
  kinds 
  of 
  rattles 
  were 
  used: 
  the 
  

   tasha'ge, 
  literally 
  "deer 
  hoofs" 
  (fig. 
  86), 
  

   and 
  the 
  pe'xe, 
  "gourd 
  rattle" 
  (fig. 
  87, 
  d). 
  

   The 
  taslta'ge 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  fastening 
  the 
  

   deer 
  hoofs 
  by 
  thongs 
  in 
  a 
  cluster 
  to 
  the 
  

   sides 
  of 
  a 
  beaded 
  stick 
  some 
  8 
  to 
  10 
  inches 
  

   long, 
  the 
  handle 
  being 
  ornamented 
  with 
  a 
  

   a 
  long 
  tassel 
  of 
  buckskin 
  thongs. 
  The 
  

   pe'xe, 
  as 
  its 
  name 
  indicates, 
  was 
  made 
  

   from 
  a 
  gourd 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  contents 
  had 
  

   been 
  carefully 
  removed 
  and 
  the 
  interior 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  of 
  which 
  made 
  smooth, 
  so 
  that 
  nothing 
  

   should 
  impede 
  the 
  contact 
  of 
  the 
  fine 
  

   gravel 
  or 
  beads 
  with 
  the 
  inner 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   gourd 
  and 
  blur 
  the 
  sound. 
  Through 
  the 
  

   holes 
  made 
  in 
  both 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  gourd, 
  in 
  

   order 
  to 
  remove 
  the 
  contents, 
  a 
  stick 
  was 
  

   thrust, 
  closing 
  them 
  tight. 
  One 
  end 
  of 
  

   the 
  stick 
  protruded 
  an 
  inch 
  or 
  more 
  from 
  

   the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  gourd 
  ; 
  the 
  other 
  end, 
  which 
  

   formed 
  the 
  handle, 
  was 
  bound 
  with 
  buck- 
  

   skin, 
  so 
  adjusted 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  firm 
  and 
  

   not 
  to 
  slip 
  from 
  the 
  gourd. 
  This 
  kind 
  of 
  

   rattle 
  was 
  symbolically 
  painted 
  and 
  used 
  in 
  

   the 
  Wa'wa" 
  ceremony. 
  The 
  pe/xeweis 
  used 
  

   also 
  in 
  theWate'gictu 
  rite, 
  when 
  war 
  honors 
  were 
  conferred. 
  The 
  Shell 
  

   and 
  Pebble 
  societies 
  and 
  the 
  "doctors" 
  used 
  this 
  kind 
  of 
  rattle. 
  

  

  Fig. 
  fc6. 
  Deer-hoof 
  rattle 
  (native 
  

   drawing). 
  

  

  